A. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to the art of methods and apparatuses for snowplow assemblies and more specifically to methods and apparatuses for a manually assembled, manually attached and manually adjusted snowplow assembly.
B. Description of the Related Art
It is well known to provide snowplow assemblies for use in moving snow and ice from roads, driveways, parking lots, sidewalks and other such surfaces. Typically, the snowplow assembly is suitable to be attached to a particular vehicle, such as a pickup truck or an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV). When the vehicle is moved, the snow contact surface of the snowplow blade contacts and plows the snow.
Known snowplow assemblies range in their weight and complexity usually depending on the application requirements. Relatively heavy and complex snowplow assemblies often use hydraulic systems and remote controls that permit the operator to adjust the position of the snowplow blade from inside the vehicle that is carrying the snowplow assembly. While such snowplow assemblies often work well for their intended purposes, they have the disadvantages of being relatively heavy, complex and expensive.
Relatively lightweight snowplow assemblies are also known. U.S. Pat. No. 6,516,544 to Matisz, for example, provides a snowplow that consists of two blade wing sections made by a rotational molding process that are joined at the center. Each blade wing section has an integrally formed bumper column that is adapted to contact the bumper of a vehicle. It is quite difficult, however, to attach the blade wing sections to the vehicle. O-rings must be attached to the vehicle. Straps must then be carefully threaded through the O-rings and the snowplow in order to mount the snowplow to the vehicle. Furthermore, once the snowplow is attached to the vehicle, it cannot be position adjusted. Thus, desirable features such as snowplow blade height adjustment and snowplow blade angle adjustment are not possible.
What is needed, then, is a snowplow assembly that is relatively lightweight yet can be easily mounted to a vehicle. Furthermore, it is desirable to have a lightweight snowplow assembly that includes a snowplow blade that is easily positioned adjusted.